ICE continues to spark debate in Parliament on post-Covid funding for public transport

A discussion paper by ICE Policy and Public Affairs on how much we value our public transport systems post-Covid-19 continues to receive support in Parliament.

Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Transport and for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, drew on our paper to frame a written parliamentary question to ask the government about future investment and spending on public transport post-pandemic.

We are pleased to see policymakers recognising the urgency of the #TransportFunding debate...

Here's ICE’s discussion paper on #PublicTransport funding post-#Covid19 getting endorsement from@sarahjolney1 MP and @redditchrachel
MP 👉 https://t.co/Av1Vm4B2ru pic.twitter.com/lNWxGbEpM1

— ICE (@ICE_engineers) September 20, 2021

It was encouraging to see the response to the questions raised in our paper by Transport Minister Rachel Maclean MP, who previously joined an ICE Presidential Breakfast in April to discuss her Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

We stand ready to work with policymakers from all parties to ensure this urgent issue remains high on the political agenda.

Following policymakers' recognition of the urgency of #PublicTransport funding post #Covid19, we thought we would re-share ICE Fellow Jonathan Spruce's take on our relevant discussion paper...

He provides us with an overview of key points 👉 https://t.co/m0Hn5gCeK1.

— ICE (@ICE_engineers) September 20, 2021

Introducing ICE Policy Fellows

ICE has just confirmed our three new ICE Policy Fellows - experienced members who can support our engagement with decision-makers and use their insight to help our work in guiding the creation of effective infrastructure.

Our new Policy Fellows with their focuses are:

• Steve Lee for Improving UK Infrastructure Delivery;
• Colin Taylor for Sub-National Infrastructure Decarbonisation;
• Simon Grubb for Funding and Financing UK Infrastructure.

Sharing our expertise

Last month, Jonathan Spruce, ICE Trustee for Policy and External affairs, spoke at the Westminster Energy, Environment and Transport Forum’s policy conference on Improving transport connectivity between the nations of the UK.

ICE Fellow, Jonathan Spruce was proud speak at the @WEETFEvents Conf today.

He discussed the need for strategic #infrastructure planning and better coordination when thinking about how to improve transport connectivity between UK nations.

ICE’s report 👉https://t.co/N5Cgvfpol0. https://t.co/Jg046NBRds

— ICE (@ICE_engineers) August 24, 2021

Jonathan’s emphasis on the need for strategic infrastructure planning and better coordination when considering how to improve transport connectivity between UK nations also follows on from our recent APPG Infrastructure event on the Union Connectivity Review.

Continuing our focus on net zero, ICE trustee Jim Hall spoke at the UK Sustainable Infrastructure Policy and Investment Summit on The role of infrastructure in helping to achieve the 2050 net-zero target.

This month, we hosted Sir John Armitt and James Heath of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) to discuss the NIC’s forthcoming Baseline Assessment’s cross-cutting themes and challenges that will be addressed in the second National Infrastructure Assessment. Over the summer, ICE consulted on what should be in NIA2, and we plan to publish our findings shortly.

Welcoming the TIP

Finally, we welcomed the government’s newly updated Transforming Infrastructure Performance: Roadmap to 2030 (TIP) and National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline (the Pipeline.) The TIP seeks to improve infrastructure productivity and performance, and the Pipeline provides long-term visibility of where economic and social infrastructure is being planned and who is building it.

Back in July, we were pleased to hold an early-look Presidential Breakfast on the TIP and Pipeline with Financial Secretary to the Treasury Jesse Norman, helping to serve as a final sounding board for the government on the direction of travel of these documents.

You can read our insights on the new TIP here, and how the new Pipeline aligns with the vision in the National Infrastructure Strategy here.

What ICE Policy and Public Affairs has achieved so far in 2021

Being recognised and referenced in policy debates

We’ve secured references to ICE’s work in the following documents:

• The Environmental Audit Select Committee’s February report, Growing back better: putting nature and net zero at the heart of the economic recovery, which ICE contributed written and oral evidence to.
• The Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s May report, The future of the planning system in England, which ICE submitted evidence to.
• A BEIS WPQ from Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP endorsed ICE as ‘widely recognised for providing leadership to the increased digitalisation of the construction sector and the wider built environment.’

Nice words from @annietrev in response to a question from @alanwhiteheadmp asking if ICE's recommendation of increased funding for the National #DigitalTwin Programme will be adopted.

FULL QUOTE 👉 https://t.co/JJ9CpX8KyP pic.twitter.com/vCkVtSOqiN

— ICE (@ICE_engineers) June 17, 2021

Supporting the scrutiny and development of infrastructure policy

We’ve twice this year put forward an expert witness, ICE Fellow Jonathan Spruce, to give evidence to the Transport Select Committee – in March on its inquiry into the delivery and appraisal of major transport projects and again in June to its inquiry into smart motorways.

ICE President Rachel Skinner also provided a private briefing on infrastructure and transport to members of the new House of Lords Built Environment Committee.

ICE Policy and Public Affairs launched a discussion paper and consultation on what should be in the second National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA).

This autumn, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) will publish its baseline assessment of the current state of key infrastructure sectors, along with proposals for the strategic themes and main priorities of the second NIA expected in 2023.

Having been closely involved in both the establishment of the NIC in 2013 and the first NIA in 2018, our consultation asks what the core considerations of NIA2 should be – including net-zero, levelling-up and climate resilience – and explores which demand drivers have changed since the first NIA.

Through this paper, we’re seeking to shape the wider infrastructure policy debate, consistently and over a number of years, by examining what our long-term infrastructure should look like – and most importantly, ensure it delivers the sustainable future outcomes we need it to.

Supporting senior politicians to test their thinking on infrastructure policy

We’ve virtually hosted the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Jesse Norman MP, as part of our APPG Infrastructure to share his priorities for 2021, and again this month at one of our Presidential Breakfasts to discuss the government’s forthcoming update to the Transforming Infrastructure Performance programme.

We also hosted decision-makers on key political issues, such as levelling-up with John Penrose MP, Chair of the Conservative Policy Forum, discussion of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan with Transport Minister Rachel Maclean MP, and infrastructure’s role in driving the post-pandemic economic recovery with Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris MP.

Meanwhile, Dr Alan Whitehead MP led a discussion on how the UK's electricity system can be improved to help transition to net-zero.

As the House rose for summer recess, our APPG Infrastructure welcomed Sir Peter Hendy CBE to update on the progress of his Union Connectivity Review (UCR); APPGI Chair Andrew Jones MP subsequently shared his thoughts on the highly topical debate around transport connectivity across the UK here, and you can read ICE’s own evidence to the UCR here.